Prince’s Estate: No New Album

It would have made a touching tribute. Plans to release Prince’s highly anticipated posthumous album, Deliverance, had been set in motion to drop on the one-year anniversary of the musician’s death.

However, the plans have been temporarily put on hold, after a federal judge upheld his estate’s request for a restraining order.

According to TMZ, the album’s producer, George Ian Boxill, does not have the rights to distribute the album publicly and apparently signed a confidentiality agreement when he worked with Prince back in 2006.

The restraining order expires on May 3, but can be extended based on the ruling.

While this is a major bummer for fans expecting to hear the songwriter’s unreleased EP, it is even more of a bummer for the millions who pre-ordered the album on iTunes and other music services.

The album and all six tracks have since been removed from the Apple Store, Google Play and other streaming services. While fans may be getting a refund, it’s a far-cry from what they wanted.